Seattle

Thursday, September 8 – Wednesday, September 14

I had a great couple of days in the Seattle area with Laura, Jeff and the kids! On Friday, Laura was off, so we went to a yoga class on Friday morning (ouch – I was tight!). Then we were able to sneak in lunch and a little bit of downtime before it was time to pick up the kids from school. We went to a local beach; Houghton Beach is in Kirkland, on the eastern shore of Lake Washington.

I have had exceptionally good luck with weather when it comes to the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes I think that everyone who lives there is telling fibs about the weather so that others won’t move there.  It was a gorgeous day – sunny, warm and not a single cloud in the sky. I continued to read Harry Potter #5, and then jumped into the lake to play with Owen and Fiona when it got too hot.

On Saturday morning, the full James family was booked in early at the dentist in Redmond. I got up early with them, and they dropped me off at the Redmond Farmer’s Market while they had their fun at the dentist.

Oh wow – there was so much beautiful, organic produce at that market! And some cool artisans represented. Here are some scenes from that morning.

That afternoon, we went to the beach again to enjoy another gorgeous day. This time, we went farther up the east side of Lake Washinton to Denny Park, where we whiled away the sunny afternoon again. I continued my Potter reading (#5 is the fattest Potter book of the whole series), Laura was reading “The Help,” and because Jeff forgot his book, he was pulled most often into the water for playing.

During one of the adults’ play breaks, Owen decided that covering himself with mud from the bottom of the lake was a cool idea. (Don’t spas charge hundreds of dollars for that???)

We had a really fun, lazy day on the lake again!

That evening, we chilled at home. Fiona thought it was a good idea to put a bear on Auggie’s head.

It was also the night that I promised Owen he could sleep in the RV with me. Auggie came with us – he snuggled (cutely) with Owen for the night.

For heaven’s sakes – Sunday was yet another gorgeous, hot day in Seattle. (See what I mean???) It was also the 10^th Anniversary of September 11^th, so I went to church with the James family as a way to commemorate the occasion for myself and with others.

After that, it was back to Houghton Beach for another wet, sunny and fun afternoon. Jumping off the dock into chilly water hasn’t been this much fun in a long time!  J

Monday morning was back to work and school. And time for me to go through my massive pile of mail that had arrived from home. I spent the day doing paperwork and catching up on bills. It was a very productive day.

And it was gray and chilly that day (and for the rest of my stay, actually) – I finally got my glimpse into real Pacific Northwest weather!

That evening, Jeff came home from work and took me along with him to his Shotokan karate dojo. I hadn’t been in my gi since Minneapolis, so it was great to train again and kiup loudly! I think I’m gonna be sore tomorrow!

It was a nice, sweaty class with Sempai Kris Haight and Sempai Beckie Brocies at the Western Washington Shotokan Karate Club.

Tuesday was the big day for me … on Laura’s recommendation, I had made an appointment at Salon Bellezza in Bellvue to have my hair done. Wow – what a luxury!!! Close to two months on the road, and my hair was looking more than a little ratty. (For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am the child of a hair stylist. One’s hair should always look good, you know. Even in an RV!)

Katie did my color and cut, and I left feeling like a new woman. Aaaaaaaah! It was probably the last splurge of the trip, so I enjoyed it immensely.

I was hitting the road again the next morning, so I spent the rest of Tuesday doing laundry, cleaning the van and pulling myself together. I had dinner with Laura that night to catch up – just us girls. And then it was time to put the kiddles to bed and catch some ZZZZZs myself.

But wait – I’m just about done Harry Potter Book #5. Egads … I stayed up till 1.00 am finishing the book! I am gonna be so sleepy tomorrow. But … totally worth the sleep deprivation. These books just keep getting better and better. I like how the dark undertones of the first few books are no longer undertones, but rather the main themes. I like the political intrigue. I like the kids growing up and being really funny at times, really annoying at others, and coming into their own personalities. Only two more left. Like the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series,” I know I am going to be sorry when I finish the final book!

With a little less sleep in me than I had wanted, Wednesday morning I said good-bye and a huge thank you to the James family for having me and Auggie for a few days. We also gave Stryker a huge hug and kiss for allowing Auggie to stay in his castle, too.

We always love Seattle – we hope that we’ll be back again soon.